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Planning commission approves 74.79-acre Ammons Bridge rezoning for 50-lot subdivision with conservation overlay conditions
Summary
The commission approved a request to rezone 74.79 acres on Ammons Bridge Road to allow a 50-lot residential development with a conservation overlay, adding conditions including a 2,000-square-foot minimum, nut-bearing trees on buildable lots, brick/stone water tables and preservation of a 50-foot buffer; the decision moves to the Board of Commissioners on June 2.
The Walton County Planning Commission voted May 7 to approve a rezoning request for 74.79 acres on Ammons Bridge Road to R1 OSC, allowing a residential development proposed by Bald Page General Contracting and represented by Andrea Gray.
Gray presented a plan calling for 50 lots, 30% open space, 50-foot buffers, a homeowner’s association to maintain the lake and shared open space, and amenities including two pickleball courts, a gazebo and a walking trail. She said the remainder of the parent parcel is floodplain and cannot be developed. The developer proposed a minimum house size at ordinance level (1,800 ft²) but agreed during the hearing to a 2,000-square-foot minimum above grade.
Neighbors raised questions about buffer width and tree preservation, the location of basements and driveway grades, and whether the developer would be held to the representative elevations shown. Resident Kevin Burrell asked for 100-foot buffers along property lines to preserve existing hardwoods and privacy; the applicant and staff said a 100-foot undisturbed buffer would significantly alter the site plan and noted the development already provides a 50-foot landscaped buffer and more than 30% open space.
After discussion commissioners negotiated specific conditions to the rezoning: removal of prior 2004-era zoning conditions; a 2,000-square-foot minimum above grade for dwellings; a requirement for a brick- or stone-faced water table wrapped on the front and sides of houses; and planting one nut-bearing tree on each buildable lot. The commission also requested that the developer preserve as many existing hardwoods within the 50-foot buffer as feasible and retain the landscaped entry and 100-foot tree stand along Ammon’s Bridge frontage where possible.
The motion to approve (with the listed conditions) passed and the matter will be forwarded to the Walton County Board of Commissioners on June 2. Commission remarks emphasized the conservation-overlay approach — setting aside open space on the developable tract rather than relying solely on floodplain acreage — and the desire for architectural and landscape standards that respond to today’s market.
The applicant said the plan reduces lot yield from an earlier 2004 plan (72 lots) to 50 lots, includes a homeowners association to manage open space and amenities, and anticipates pricing in the $500,000–$600,000 range for the proposed homes.
